Blast shakes Pemex plant in Veracruz oil export hub

MEXICO CITY, April 20 (Reuters) - An explosion rocked a facility of Mexican national oil company Pemex in eastern Veracruz state on Wednesday, home to a major oil export hub, state authorities said.

Pemex said in a post on its Twitter page that an accident occurred at the facility’s chlorinate 3 plant near the port of Coatzacoalcos, one of the company’s major oil export hubs. It gave no further details on any damage or casualties.

Local emergency officials said hundreds of people had been evacuated from the site. A towering plume of dark smoke billowed into the air.